The Haunted Apprentice
by xsouthernwatersx
Summary: Alternate ending to "Haunted". Slade really is back and he is ready to kill to get what he wants. Literally. The weapon of his desire? Robin. "Lastly my Apprentice, you will annihilate them."
1. Chapter 1

Starfire felt her heart pounding. She, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were charging down to the basement level of the Titans Tower. Chills raked down the Tamaranian's body.

_Please, Robin, please be safe._

_..._

"Stop, Slade." Robin felt himself begging at the feet of his true nemesis, his ribs burning, slashes covering his body. His energy was draining fast, and Robin knew there was nothing left of his strength, not even an ounce of hope.

"No, Robin, I will never stop. And you will never..." The light quivered and Slade vanished, like the blink of an eye. It switched off, and he was back. He drew his foot into Robin's battered side, hearing a rib crack under the weight. Robin was thrust up, and Slade drew his fist back and flung it into Robin's face.

The Boy Wonder was thrust back, the momentum of the punch driving him into the bars holding the basement level up.

"...You will never be free of me."

......

Starfire and the Titans were flying around the towers of boxes, trying to locate their leader. The alien thrust herself even further ahead of the group, her heart about to explode. Sweat dripped down her face with the effort of driving herself forward.

"Slade!" Robin screamed, his voice echoing. Starfire gasped, and the Titans drove forward.

"Hang in their, Robin." Starfire prayed. "Hang in there."

......

Slade analyzed Robin, heaving, frail, broken, and bleeding. He truly had gone soft after he had broken away from the villain. There was much to teach him, still.

"What will make you stop?" Robin heaved, his voice raspy, a bit of a gurgle of blood at the end of his pathetic question.

"Nothing will make me stop haunting you Robin. Nothing will make me forgive you for deserting me, Robin. That is why..."

Slade drew a small object, drew closer to Robin, and raised it towards the heroes heart. Through the haze attempting to consume Robin's conscious, he instantly recognized the item.

"I have to _elminate_ you."

......

The Titans were shooting like meteors down the rows of storage, closer than ever to Robin. Finally, after what seemed like a millennium they rounded the final tower of storage, and there the worst of their nightmares stood, facing them in the face . Robin was right all along.

Slade was truly back.

"_No!" _ Starfire screamed, her voice echoing. Slade and Robin turned. The sight of Robin, battered and bleeding sent an electric current of anger through Starfire. The nerves at the end of her hands erupted in fireworks, the adrenaline charging her anger even further. She drew her starbolts, ready to charge, though unready to make any sudden movements.

Robin raised his hand towards the Titans, his team, his friends, and his family. Cyborg had his sonic cannon drawn, Raven was drawing up boxes, ready to strike, and Beast Boy had morphed into the form of a gorilla. Starfire had silent tears streaming down her face, her body in an attacking position.

"It's okay, guys, I'll be fine. Starfire, I-"

But the Boy Wonder never got to finish his confession, for Slade had fired the gun, straight into Robin's heart.

Robin's body was thrust back with the shock, a small strained sound slipped out of his lips, and then he fell with a dull thud.

Slade grabbed Robin's body, stood, and glared at the Titans, all too shocked to move. Beast Boy switched back to a human, and Raven dropped the boxes. Cyborg had switched from the sonic cannon back to his mechanical hand. Only Starfire remained ready to attack, though the light around her eyes and hands flickered violently.

Slade let out a harsh laugh that bounced off the walls and resonated in the spacious storage room. The light overhead flickered again, and the villain was gone, the leader of Jump City's Titans with him.

......

_Two days later_

Cindy Clemmons, news reporter of Jump City was patting foundation onto her face. This was her big break, and she had to look good for it.

"Miss Clemmons?" The intern said nervously, tucking her brown hair behind her left ear.

"What?" Cindy snapped. She hated the spring time when the new interns were fresh out of the oven and fresh out of blundering stupidity.

"They're ready to begin the coverage." She said, waiting for Cindy to respond. Cindy smacked her tongue against her perfectly straight and white teeth.

"Fine, I'll be out in a few second. You can leave." Irritation covered every word from the news anchor. The intern nodded and exited the portable news trailer.

Cindy got up, took one look at her perfect figure, and exited the trailer, stepping into the rough terrain of Titan Island.

She then took her spot in front of the camera, allowed the interns to hook her mike to the frequencies, and cleared her throat. The cameraman took one last sip of his coffee, threw it behind him, and turned on the camera.

"Quiet on the set!" The Producer, Larry Yune, cried in a moderate Asian accent that only uncovered when he was yelling.

He looked at Cindy, who nodded, and began the countdown.

"In five, four, three, two..." He thrust his forearm forward, as if directing a plane on a landing dock.

Cindy smiled for the camera, her broad white teeth shining in the perfect light. "Hello Jump City, this is Cindy Clemmons with Jumps News. Today we are," Cindy put on a sad voice that had earned her a News Award for being the most compassionate news anchor out there, "...Located at the Titans tower, where news of tragedy has struck the superheroes responsible for our beloved City's safety. Just two days ago the Boy Wonder Robin was shot by an unknown felon fatally through the heart. His body was never retrieved."

Cindy looked down for a second, as if lost in thought, and as if caught by tragedy.

"The Titans are today now laying out an eternal flame in honor of the fallen hero, and your Jump City news channel is here to cover it." She looked behind her and saw that the Titans were emerging from the ground floor of their Tower, each clutching an item.

"And there is the flame. Let's go over for a closer look." Cindy said, a flicker of annoyance sparking inside of her. She really shouldn't have worn her new coral colored heels today.

After a few second of hustling, the news crew reached the Titans, where each were dressed in black, minus Cyborg, and all had a look of true confusion on their faces, as if they were confused at what had just happened two days ago. As if they were confused that such a thing could happen to their invincible leader.

"And there's," Cindy said in a hushed voice, pointing to Cyborg, who was holding a spare costume of Robins, "The half mechanical Titan Cyborg placing the fallen Robin's costume on the prepared ground."

Next Beast Boy stepped forward, holding a spare belt that Robin had used when his original one was out of commission.

Cindy looked at the camera, her lips pursed, as though she was truly struck by this sight, "There's the animal transformer, known as Beast Boy to the Titans and to the public placing Robin's spare utility belt by the costume."

Beast Boy stepped back, a tear streaking down his face.

Raven was next, holding a small black object.

"Rob," Cindy said, allowing herself to say the Camera operator's face, a sign of raw live news reporting, "Can you zoom in? I'm almost sure that's Robin's mask being placed down by Raven, the telekinetic foreigner." She stepped out of the way for a clear shot. Indeed the camera man zoomed in, and, as Cindy had said, it was indeed one of Robin's mask.

Raven stepped back and hid her face beneath her cloak, hiding the tears. Last was Starfire.

She was dressed in all black instead of her regular Tamaran clothing. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that swayed against her back as she walked.

Cindy took a few steps closer, allowing herself to be just within the frame.

"And there is the Tamaranian" Cindy slightly struggled on the name, "Starfire placing the flame on top of all the items."

Starfire placed a small stone basin with a flame flickering in the center down on top of the costume and between the spare utility belt and the mask. She stepped back, charged up her starbolts, and sent two into the air. They screamed into the air, until they both collided and created a mini firework explosion.

"There was a small demonstration of the Tamaran power, probably a last tribute to the fallen warrior." Cindy said, her voice even more hushed.

With that, the four Titans turned, and went back into their Tower.

Cindy looked at the camera head on. "And there you have it, Jump City. The last tribute to a fallen hero. Only fate knows what the future has in store for our City now he is gone. I'm Cindy Clemmons signing off."

......

Just five miles away from the Tower, an old abandoned molasses warehouse stood, undisturbed.

Slade thrust the back emergency exit door open with a small grunt of effort. This was where he and his mechanical Henchmen had set up a hidden laboratory months before he let himself known to Robin as alive, and of course, only to Robin. He chuckled a little to himself and drew a small bundle he had clutched into his unforgiving hands tighter to his side.

He made his was through machines shut down long ago, past boxes of unused glass molasses bottles. He only stopped until he was in the center of the floor, where one single fluorescent light flickered feebly, buzzing idly.

He stood facing a metal holding bed, flat and unforgiving. The specimen strapped down with IVs trickling into his arms was asleep, eyes shut tight.

Slade threw the bundle down onto the ground, where a small outfit loosened and tumbled out of the sack holding them. A disk with a black _S _slashed on an orange foundation clattered angrily, the sound ringing around the desolate room.

"It's time to wake up, my new apprentice. Though this time, I will make you obey me. You will do whatever I say. You will haunt the Titans as I did to you." Slade pressed a button on the mechanics hooked up to the bed. The specimen woke up with a start, and jumped in the air, breaking free of his bonds, and landing silently in a kneeling position by Slade's feet. He stood and bowed his head.

"You will torture them from the inside out. You will make them attack you, and you will win. You will create chaos from the inside out And finally, my new apprentice."

The boy raised his head up to his Master's face.

"_You will annihilate them._"

The boy raised his head and looked at his Master, their eyes locked.

"Yes, Master."

Slade chuckled.

"Good boy, Robin."

_A/N, So this is an alternate ending to the episode Haunted where Robin is convinced he is seeing Slade again. I need at least two replies to continue. Feedback welcome! Hope you enjoyed it! :)_


	2. Chapter 2

"_It's over Slade! You're going down!" _

"_We're heroes, Star…"_

"_Titans! Go!"_

"_Is that why you kissed me when you first came to Earth - to learn English?"_

" _A hero is what I am…"_

"_Maybe I could be... maybe __we__ could be-"_

"_Starfire…I…" Robin raised his hand feebly towards Starfire, reaching out to her...and then..._

Starfire squeezed her eyes shut as the echoing sound of the gun pierced through every nerve in her body, as if it were she that had been struck by the bullet. Like the last day, and the day before, she was seated on the window sill of the Titan's main floor overlooking the bay, the waves crashing against each other half-heartedly. Her eyes lowered down to the eternal flame, undistrubed. Starfire inclined her neck ever so slightly to get a full view of the flickering light, still strong as if it had just been lit.

'_Robin…'_ She let out a sigh, probably the fourth or fifth of the hour. Star lowered her head back down and pressed her forehead against the window, trying to contain her tears.

The Titan alarm hadn't gone off for a record four days, the amount since Robin had been, Starfire struggled to form the word in her mind, _murdered_. It was even as if the villains were mourning the death of the fallen Titan. The people of Jump City were still glued to the news, where the reporters and producers were trying to squeeze every drop out of the story as possible. Currently, the TV in the Tower was turned off, no television nor video games. It was completely silent.

The girl heard footsteps approach her from behind, but she made no move to turn around.

"Starfire? We're going to patrol the city, if you want to come…" Beast Boy offered, his voice raw and low, showing apparent signs of inactivity. They hadn't said much to each other in days past. There wasn't much to say anyway…

Starfire turned her head sharply, her eyes glowing ever so slightly, both from tears and from her foreign power. "How can you think of patrolling when there is no more Robin! There have been no villains trying to harm us for four days! What is the point of patrolling if there is no danger?!" Her voice cracked with bitterness. Beast Boy backed away, his eyes reflecting his apparent agreement. BB was the only one in the house trying to get everyone up and active, but even the energetic vegetarian didn't have much of a heart for his feeble campaign.

"Uh, okay." Beast Boy backed away, his head bowed. Star turned her head back to the window. She closed her eyes, trying to imprint Robin's voice into her mind forever.

'_What will happen to us now, Robin?'_

…

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Raven chanted, gently bobbing in the air, her legs crossed. She was holding a large book open in her legs and a mirror floated just in front of her face.

"Azarath…." Raven's voice trailed off, and she opened her eyes suddenly, both glowing white. The mirror ignited in a brilliant light, showering the telekinetic in silver.

Raven narrowed her eyes, and began muttering again. The light receded, and retreated back into the mirror. Replaced by the light, an image formed.

It was Slade. He held the gun in front of Robin's chest, and in the corner of the mirror Raven could see her and the Titans stark with shock.

"Starfire, I…" And then it happened. Slade fired the gun.

"Azarath Mertion Zinthos!" Raven cried out, changing the vantage point of the mirror until it was if she were Slade. She clenched her hands tightly, straining her muscles to keep herself from being forced back from the power of the bullet. Just when the bullet would have made contact with Robin, the mirror lost the image. The light died, and the mirror hit the floor with a sharp clatter.

Raven let out an inarticulate cry of anger. Every time she tried to see where the bullet his Robin, to find if it truly _was_ a fatal shot, she lost the image. Landing to the floor without a sound, she let the book fall to the ground with a muffled thud, and exited her dark room.

The hall where all the Titans rooms resided was completely empty. Raven cleared her mind and tried to find any source of noise, but it was impossible. Nobody was moving nor talking.

Just like the last four days.

She walked to the main living area, where Starfire sat idly, her head pressed against the window. Beast Boy was at the kitchen counter, drawing little doodles on the marble table toping with his finger. Cyborg was no where to be seen.

"Where's Cyborg?" She asked, her voice monotone. Star didn't answer, and Beast Boy shrugged his head. A spark of anger ignited inside Raven.

"Well let's not all get up at once and tell me! Geez, it's as if you guys died too!" Instantly she knew this was the wrong thing to say. Starfire glared at her, her steely gaze matched by Beast Boy's own expression.

"Don't you dare make that comparison Raven!" The Tamaranian said dangerously. Beast Boy made no comment, but instead went back to drawing imaginary doodles on the counter.

Her anger spent, she went towards the elevator and went down to the ground floor to find Cyborg.

…

The mechanical half human had his back propped against the tower, so close to the wall that no one would be able to see him from the windows above. It seemed as if he were staring at the eternal flame, but in reality he was focusing on that night, his red eye replaying the accident over and over again. The door opened behind him, but he made no attempt to see who it was.

"Hey…" Raven called, going over to Cyborg and sitting down beside him.

"I was wondering…" She began, not looking at him.

"No." Cyborg said shortly.

Raven looked at Cyborg, confused. She hadn't even begun to ask him her question.

"No, I can't see if the shot to Robin was fatal or not. No, I didn't use my eye to take a 3D scan of the room when we found them like I should have, and no I can't pick up any signal from his locator." Cyborg spat out angrily, his hands clenching and unclenching in utter frustration.

"I wasn't going to ask that…" Raven lied, "I was going to ask…if you were okay." She looked away, not wanting to show Cyborg her eyes, in fear of betraying her faux question.

Cyborg looked down at her, made a _pft _sound and turned his head back to the ocean in front of them.

"I'm not okay, Raven. Nor are BB or Star. We will _never be okay again_. Not without Robin. When he was working with Slade, it was different, because he was still alive. Now he's _dead, Raven. Dead._ And there's nothing we can do about it. So I'm not okay, Raven." His voice was completely bland, frustration lacing every emphasized word. Raven shut her eyes, trying to block out the world. Inside she knew that her companion was right. They were never going to be the same again. Raven looked out at the ocean, where a fresh new wave, bigger than the others, crashed against the rocks of Titan Island. The signal for high tide.

"I hope you're wrong, Cyborg, but something tells me I'm the one who's wrong." She opened her eyes, and for the briefest second, she thought she saw the eternal flame go out.

…

"You are shaping up well, my apprentice. Very, very well." Slade circled the boy in the center of the warehouse, his young frame heaving with effort.

"You're first mission will be very soon, I assure you." Slade said, placing his hand on the boys shoulder. The lean muscles of the apprentice tightened.

"You will not question me." Slade's voice was low and hypnotizing.

"Yes, Master." Robin's voice was low and lifeless.

"You will do everything I say."

"Yes, Master."

"You will use my power to destroy them. With your power and my power, my young apprentice, we will rule this city, and with it, we will rule the Titans."

Robin's mask, the ends titled up at the end like they were when he was previously apprenticed, glowed a dull hue of red.

"Yes, Master."

Slade chuckled. "Good boy. Then go!" He threw his hand in the air, and with a whoosh of air, Robin was gone.

…

The sun was beginning to set on Jump City. Clouds were approaching fast, covering the sun's rays. Robin was hidden among the shadows, his steel toed boots pushing him forward.

A small pellet of rain fell on Robin's forehead. He glanced up at the rain, growled ever so slightly, and tore foreword. He turned to the left, jumped up, and found himself in the air, his jump overestimated. He landed hard on the roof, but kept going without a second of allowing himself recovery.

Jump, run, jump, run, turn. That was all that was going through the desensitized ex-hero's mind. Slade…the name and face lingered, and he felt a sincere wanting to please his Master. His Master was responsible for his life, for his abilities.

He was aiming for the armory, to steal an energy percussion component to attach to his new suit. His suit was black, with components of metal strapped on to his body, except for his joints and chest. His chest was black with an orange _S_ slashed on in the center. He had no cape unlike his old costume. A metal chest plate covered his shoulders. In many ways, it was much like his old costume when he was apprenticed to Slade. Though this time his new one was much more adequate; unlike his old one, this one had many small bombs and energy rays built in. All he had to do was thrust his hand out and a bomb or whatever item he wanted would appear for him. As Slade had ordered, he needed an energy percussion blaster, which would take any energy attack aimed at him and thrust it back at his own attacker, though with three times the power.

Still roof hopping, Robin halted rather suddenly. A small twinge at his heart had stopped his feet in their tracks. He looked around him, the clouds dimming the atmosphere. The smell of rain was overpowering his senses, but he cleared his throat and shook his head, his brain now filled with anger. What had stopped him?

He saw in the distance a giant T shaped tower. The ex-hero felt a peculiar twinge at his heart, similar to the one that had stopped him just seconds ago. His breath quickened and his hands bunched together.

"Patience, Robin. Patience." The voice of Slade echoed around him. Robin growled.

"No! Master, I-" Robin clenched his headpiece, two small disks placed in either ear.

"Robin!" Slade snapped. Robin slumped his shoulders in acceptance.

He took his hand down from his earpiece, and began running towards the percussion blaster.

…

The alarm went off in Titan Tower.

"Trouble?" Beast Boy asked, his voice almost hopeful. Starfire ran to the monitor and entered the pass code. An image of the streets appeared, with a glowing red blinker where the break in was located. The armory.

"The armory!" Starfire called out. Beast Boy shifted into an eagle, Starfire at his heels. They tore open the window and flew down to Raven and Cyborg, who were both sitting still as stone.

"Trouble!" Starfire called, picking up Cyborg by his shoulders and streaming into the air. Raven jumped up and followed her fellow Titan.

…

"Freeze!" A policeman ordered the shadow. The energy percussion blaster was glowing a slight shade of blue, powering up, attaching itself to the thief's suit.

"Put your hands in the air!" Another ordered.

Robin did as ordered, but instead of staying still he jumped in the air, pushed himself through the venting machine and was gone.

He charged down the vent and, after a second of finding no way of escape, let out an inarticulate cry of rage and blasted the vent open to expose himself to the hard rain and to the nights air. Knowing that the humans wouldn't follow him, he relaxed, allowing himself to get his bearings.

Robin was about to charge forward when he saw four figures, each varying in size and shape, charging towards him. He felt a smirk play upon his lips.

This was what he was born for.

…

"There he is!" Cyborg called out in the rain. Thunder boomed behind them.

The Titans tore forward, Starfire dropping Cyborg, his sonic cannon already drawn. He fired it, but the black shadow dodged it with ease.

The four landed, each ready to attack.

"Please," Starfire began, "We do not wish to hurt you. Please just surrender now."

The shadow raised his arm and through the torrent of rain, the Titans could pick out a glowing pinprick of energy.

"The energy percussion blaster!" Raven called out.

Starfire charged forward, her starbolts whizzing in front of her. The figure jumped up, and with a loud cry that overpowered another boom of thunder, fired the energy percussion blaster.

The effect did little since it had nothing to absorb and reverse, although the large beam of white blue light did enough for the stealthy shadow to escape without a trace.

"We are not victorious." Starfire said dejectedly, landing silently in the ground.

"Dudes…" Cyborg said in the midst of his cannon reforming into his mechanical hand.

All the Titans turned to look at him, each rubbing a soon-to-be bruise.

"Did…that voice…did it…" He turned his shoulder light on, but through the rain, nothing could be seen.

"Cy?" Beast Boy asked, his voice apprehensive.

The mechanical human shook his head. "Never mind. We got a new enemy now. Let's go home and get some rest, y'all. "

With that, the Titans turned, and headed home through the rain.

….

Robin landed back in the warehouse. "I did as you were told." He said into the dark spacious room.

"Good job, Robin. Good work. You got a thrill out of that, didn't you?" Slade asked, his voice persuasively calm and gravely.

Robin smirked. He had.

"Don't get too happy, though, young apprentice. The real fun hasn't even begun."

Robin looked up at Slade, his eyes glowing a stronger hue of red. "Good."

_A/N – Well, here's the second chapter. Um…it's much much longer than I thought it was going to be but I really like how it turned out. __ Again, read and review! I need at least three reviews to continue! Critique is always welcome, but please no flames. _

_A special thanks to Galinda-Girl who gave me some awesome critiquing on my first chapter!_

_Also, I think I should just put it out there that I am a RobStar, RaeBB person. _

_The third chapter may be up by Wednesday, since I have school tomorrow. (I had today off for MLK jr. day) _


	3. Chapter 3

"What?!" Cindy Clemmons slammed her balled fist down on her private desk. Her instant coffee, served black with one packaged sugar, swayed violently in the mug, the bitter liquid reflecting her enraged expression. The intern, this one different than the one two days ago when the infamous reporter had been reporting on the funeral of that dead Titan-what was his name again? Oh yeah, _Robin. _This new trainee had flaming red hair with a serious case of acne. Cindy felt her skin break out just looking at him.

"I-I'm just telling you what Mr. Yune told me, Miss Clemmons." He said, avoiding eye contact. Melissa, the girl from four days ago had made that very mistake, earning her her discharge. The clipboard in his sweaty palms slipped, and the red head had to fumble a little to regain his grasp. Cindy gave an exasperated groan.

"And," She took her index finger and thumb and slowly rubbed tiny circles on the sides of her forehead. "And tell me," She snapped her free hand in a circular motion, prompting the intern.

He stared at her for a second, and then understood, "Oh, I'm, uh, S-Sam." He stuttered, bowing his head as if he were in the company of royalty.

Cindy made a clicking noise with her tongue and top teeth. She looked down at her coffee cup and rotated it so the ceramic handle was facing nine o'clock. "And tell me Sam _exactly _whatLarry told you." Her ice blue eyes flicked back up at the intern, flashing dangerously.

Sam swallowed violently. "He- he told me you are to cover the-the break in at the armory." His voice was all stuffed up, as if he had just gotten over a bad cold.

Cindy scoffed, turning from Sam. "How…how _could he! _I did the coverage on the God-forsaken-Titan story for Christ's sake! What makes him think that he can still toss me around like a new intern?" She whipped around to Sam, her sides heaving with effort. Sam was frozen in place, his back erect.

"I've been here for five years! I'm not staying young forever! Does that…that…_bastard_ know how much money I spend a year on Botox? I do every little thing he says and he can't even bother _considering _moving me up to Corporate?" Cindy glared at Sam, her eyes flashing a cold blue fire. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Cindy flicked her wrist at the teenager.

"Don't stand there with your mouth open. You're useless, you know that? Did you parents ever tell you that you're useless?" She drew her tongue over her front teeth.

Sam shook his head from left to right violently.

Cindy gave a smirk. "Let me give you a bit of advice, kid. You're useless, especially in this business. Go. You're done here. Go home and cry to your cushy mother, and get a new job while you're at it." With a hint of amusement at the poor boy's surprised and enraged expression, she turned around, looking out at the large window behind her desk. It was late at night, just after the eleven o' clock news. The rain was slowly letting up, and the thunder had stopped.

She could hear Sam hesitate, and then shuffle dejectedly out of the room.

Cindy took a deep breath of air, trying to calm herself. _Focusing creates wrinkles, Cynthia. Calm down. You'll get back at Larry later. _

She turned and exited her office, her coffee mug sitting undisturbed.

…

Cyborg couldn't get the voice out of his mind. It had been three hours since they had fought the unknown robber. The Titan was seated on the half-moon black leather couch, giving the airs of watching Beast Boy play a new racing game he had purchased to distract him. In reality though, he was replaying the night's event over and over, trying to identify the voice of the new enemy.

"It's too familiar…" He whispered to himself. Beast Boy gave a slight glance Cyborgs way before turning back to the television screen.

"Did you say something?" He asked, his hands moving deftly over the controller. Cyborg didn't notice his friend calling him.

"Dude! Snap out of it!" Beast Boy yelled, hitting Cyborg on the side, earning the green teenager a smarting left hand.

Cyborg shook his head, blinking a few times. "Huh? Oh, sorry, B. What were you saying?" He looked down at Beast Boy who was now eyeing him peculiarly.

"Dude, you've been acting weird since we got back from that mission. Don't let it bug you. We'll just get him next time." Beast Boy said. A small smile on his lips formed before he went back to his game.

"But that voice!" Cyborg cried indignantly. " You didn't you recognize it at all?" Cyborg knew that it was a hopeless question; Beast Boy didn't really focus on too many details during the midst of a battle.

Beast Boy shook his head, his eyes trained on the large screen. Cyborg felt a prick of annoyance at the half human. He snatched the controller out of Beast Boy's hands and switched the screen off.

"Hey, I was winning!"

Cyborg's expression silenced the smaller Titan. "B, think! When he cried out just as he fired that energy percussion blaster, didn't you recognize that voice at all?" Cyborg knew he was taking a huge risk. "Didn't it sorta sound like…like… Robin?" His voice went soft when he said his friend's name. Beast Boy's eyes went steely.

"That's not funny, Cy! Of course the guy didn't sound like Robin. Robin's d- gone." Beast Boy stopped himself before he said the dreaded _d _word.

Cyborg gave a sigh of exasperation. He knew his theory wasn't going to be supported by Beast Boy. He thought of asking the other Titans, but he knew that asking Starfire would set her off again. Asking Raven wasn't nearly as risky, but she had shut herself in her room and hadn't come out since they had returned to the Tower.

Sighing, he got up, walked past Beast Boy, and after a second's consideration, threw the gamer his controller back. As he exited the room, he could hear the game restart from the beginning.

Cyborg went down the hallway and turned to the closest door to the right. Ravens room. He knocked.

"Raven? Can I come in?" He asked quietly, still a little doubtful if he should even be considering voicing his thoughts to the psychic. The door swooshed open soundlessly. Cyborg stepped into the dark, not knowing quite knowing what to expect.

Raven's room was much less, well, depressing as Cyborg imagined. It had many strange books cluttering the floor, nine out of ten of them cryptic and bound in fraying brown leather. A large mirror sat on a large stack of books in the center of the room and at the foot of her bed. Her bed was rather ordinary, round, and the headboard, carved in what Cyborg though to be stone or plaster, was in the shape of the head of her cloak. Raven was sitting on top of her bed, a large volume lying open in her lap. Smoke from an incense on her small nightstand curled in the air lethargically.

She looked up at him, her expression blank. "What?" She asked.

Cyborg felt himself regretting even coming into the room. "Never mind, it's stupid. I shouldn't have wasted your time." He began to turn, but the door shut in front of him.

"Cyborg," Raven said behind him. "I've known you for years now, and I know that it's not stupid. What is it?"

Cyborg turned and gulped, sighed, and began. "You know that guy we met on the roof of the armory?"

Raven nodded. Yes, she did.

"Well, you know when he fired that percussion blaster thing, and he yelled?" The half human tried to push away his growing fear, drawing closer to Raven. She looked alert, every outline of her face clearly defined. Cyborg knew just by this look Raven was seriously paying attention to what he was saying now.

He waited a second, and when Raven didn't move or say anything, he continued. "Well, did you, did you recognize that voice at all? Did it sound familiar to you?" He sounded desperate now.

Ravens eyes flashed. "What are you suggesting, Cyborg?" A small hint of emotion crept into her voice, though Cyborg couldn't detect what it was.

He closed his eyes and opened them again. Well, here goes nothing. "Did it sound like…did it sound like Robin to you?"

She gave a small, sharp intake of breath, though she said nothing. Cyborg waited, expectantly. After a second, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Sorry I asked. It's late, and I guess I'm just not-" He turned to leave, but halted sharply when Ravens voice interrupted him.

"I have been replaying that fight over and over again since we got back to the tower with my mirror. I don't know if I can agree with what you're saying Cyborg, but I know that you're on to something. There's definitely up."

……

Robin felt his gloved hand slam against metal. He drew back and threw his other fist into Slades armored chest. His Master jumped back, completing a back hand spring to flee from Robin's assault. The young apprentice ran forward, blocking a round house kick with his forearm. He thrust down the leg with his arm and lashed out with his own leg. Slade dodged, and returned the attack with a punch to the teenager's diaphragm. They separated for a second, each gathering his bearings, and then charged forward. Slade met flesh first, sending his fist into Robin's cheek. The boy staggered backwards, grasping his cheek tightly. He huffed, wiped his cheek briskly, and then charged forward. Slade jumped in the air, landing nimbly onto a rafter of the warehouse the two had been living in for the past six days. Robin jumped up with a large battle cry, only to land and find that Slade was gone. He turned on the spot, staring through the darkness with narrowed eyes. A second too late, he found feet knocking him back off the rafter, spiraling towards the ground. He braced for the fall, turning his body so he could land without harming himself.

"Good, Robin." Slade whispered, though his voice resonated through the whole spacious room. "You're already improving." He landed behind Robin silently. Robin turned sharply and drew his hands together in a defensive position, but Slade shook his head once.

"No Robin, we're done sparring right now. It's time for your second mission, your first real test of loyalty to me, Robin. Are you," his voice lowered into a dark whisper, "loyal, Robin?"

Robin looked up at his Master, a small yet cynical smile slashed across his face.

"Of course."

……

_A/N- so here it is. Yeah it's short, I know. I have a busy week coming up so I wanted to get it out there before tomorrow. I may update for Saturday or Friday but I'm not completely sure. Another reason why I ended it here was because I've been tossing some ideas around about what I want Robin to happen and I still really have no clue. If you have any suggestions that you want to throw out at me, about what _you_ want Robin to do, the ideas are welcome. _

_I don't like the last line Raven said, but I honestly couldn't think of anything better. I think it turned out okay, it just gets me how short it is ^^; ah well, quality over quantity! _

_Sorry if you think it's going a little slow now, I'm just trying to get it started and then by the fourth chapter it's going into high gear I promise!!!!! _

_Review! How about four reviews??? ^^_

_See ya guys next time and I promise it will be longer! _

_Special thanks to Galinda-Girl, Claire4522, and KaliAnn!_


	4. Chapter 4

'_And that's the last of them.'_ Gordon Neely thought with relief, pressing the enter key of his old black brick of a laptop. The Chief of Police of Jump City was a conservative fellow, and though the only thing working on his old laptop was the document manager and the built in email he refused to upgrade to laptop made within the decade.

He had just finished sending the remaining documents of the quarterly reviews to various supervisors and other officials that were paid more money than him for doing much less work. He chuckled to himself and took a sip of his cold coffee, pursing his lips as he swallowed the bitter liquid. Like every night since the leader of the Teen Titans had been murdered, Gordon Neely was working into the late hours of the night watching the roads from cameras rigged to lamp posts, old security videos, rare interviews of the Titans, news segments from local and national channels, anything that would give him any hint about who would want to kill the young superhero. And, like every night since the young Titan was murdered, Neely drew up virtually nothing.

"Well Fran," Neely touched the frame holding a picture of his deceased wife gently, "Time to pack up," He heaved a great sigh and blinked away the small tears he always acquired when he thought of Fran. The two had been high school sweethearts and had gone to the same community college just outside of Jump City. He had asked her to marry him seven years ago, and those precious years had been the happiest of his life. Neely had thrived off of Fran's sunny disposition; she had taught him how to laugh and how to love. She taught him how to see colors and how to appreciate the sounds of traffic in the city. When they were together it always seemed as if they were three steps ahead of everything. Then of course, fate sprang up from behind and bit them from behind.

Fran had grown up with epilepsy. The seizures happened sporadically, with no clue of when they would hit. By the time Fran was twenty five, the seizures had begun to happen much more often, and much, much more worse. One late rainy day, when the two were settling down together on the couch to watch a movie, each with a slice of pizza in hand, Fran had a seizure. Neely called their neighbor, who was luckily a surgeon, and he came running over to help Neely get Fran to the hospital. By the time the ambulance came Fran had gone into shock. Like every time she had a seizure, Neely was sent into the hospitals waiting room and prayed. It was all he could do, beside counting the seconds and minutes that passed.

The doctor came out around ten thirty, and Neely jumped up and bounded over to him, desperation clear in his eyes. The doctor, Brett Gargon, walked forward with composure, though his movements were tired and strained. A somber look covered his face, and his eyes were watery, almost as if he were about to break down in tears himself. Neely felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"How bad?" Was all he could muster.

Dr. Gargon sighed. "Bad. This one was…bad. She has permanent brain and heart damage, and the next time she has a seizure again, she might not make it. She's lost her memory, too, Gordon. I'm sorry. I knew Fran when she was little. We grew up in the same town just outside of here and…" He trailed off helplessly. Neely felt the world crash in on him like a tsunami. Brain damage, heart damage, and now she wouldn't be able to remember anything?

Neely pressed past the doctor and felt his feet carry him to his wife's room. He turned the corner, and the sight made his heart stop.

Fran was sleeping now, all the color gone from her face. Her left arm was stretched out, hooked to an intravenous. Neely covered his mouth with his hand, stifling the cries of sorrow he was now bombarded with from just seeing his wife so helpless and so fragile. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open. A look of innocent curiosity spread across her face.

"Who are you?"

…Fran died three weeks later from another seizure.

_That was five years ago,_ Neely thought, shaking his thinning hair. _She would want me to move on now._ He thought to himself as he closed his laptop and thrust it in his bag. Neely stood up, went to the door, and flipped the switch, turning all the lights off except for the fluorescents in the back side of the room.

_Time to go home._

He fumbled with the keys, opened the door, and turned to lock it when he heard the faint _thump thump _of footsteps. His body tensed, suddenly alert. That was definitely the sound of footsteps, but how could that be? He was the only one in the building.

He turned away from the door and tried to peer through the faint, pale lighting from the overhead lights.

"Who's there?" He called, feeling rather silly. Of course no one was there. Of course it wasn't any one who would harm him or want to steal from here. All they would find is paperwork and a crusty middle-aged man. It's not as if they were hiding gold in the file cabinets.

The thumping grew stronger. Neely reached for the holster hitched to his belt loop, and drew his weapon. It wasn't loaded, but who ever was with him didn't know that.

The thump sounds became more rhythmic now. Neely turned to his left, then to his right, which held two long hallways, one leading to the basement, the other to the rest rooms, and found no one there. Before he could turn forward again, the gun was knocked out of his hand.

"Aaah!" He drew back sharply, only to hit hid head hard against the door behind him. His knees buckled and his body sagged a bit. He placed a hand to the back of his head.

The shadow dropped down in front of him, as if he had materialized from the ceiling. He was clad in a black jumpsuit with plates of steel armor covering his forearms, upper arms, shins, and thighs. A thin plate of the same metal covered his collar bone, and in the center of the plate was a familiar looking S. Gordon Neely looked up to his attacker, and found himself looking into a mask, tinged with red. He knew that boy.

"You-you're Robin! You're that dead Titan!" Neely called out in spite of his shock. Robin threw back his head and laughed.

"That name, that _past_ no longer applies to me. But sure, I'm _Robin._" He kicked Neely in the chest, cracking a few ribs in the process.

Neely looked up at his attacker, too shocked to believe what he was witnessing. "What do you want from me?"

Robin knelt down, eye to eye with the Chief of Jump City Police. "You dead." He said slowly. The look of terror on Neely's eyes made Robin laugh. This _was _going to be fun after all.

Neely began to put on the tactic he had learned in his early police schooling. Ask questions. Learn from you attacker. Buy yourself some time because every second counts.

"What do you have to gain from killing me?" He asked, his breath slowly coming back to him.

Robin laughed. "You really are slow, aren't you? It's because you're the Chief of Police. Shouldn't that be enough for you? With you out of the way, the city will be in shambles. That will lead a clear path to my Masters goal." As he spoke, Robin stood and retrieved a small device from his utility belt. He placed it on his arm and clicked it into place. It powered up with a slight whine and the former hero aimed it at Neely's head.

'_I'm coming, Fran.' _ Were Gordon Neely's last thoughts before Robin shot the blaster through the Chief's head. It was the first time the former hero had ever shed innocent blood.

"Robin!" A loud, bloodcurdling scream resonated through the hallway. The said villain turned sharply to find his former team facing him, each with betrayal and shock carved mercilessly into their faces.

Confusion began to bombard Robin's thoughts. At first he began to feel his mind go fuzzy, like it was when he was first reborn. Then memories of his past life, one that he didn't recognize at all, one that he didn't care for at all, began to appear. Him and the alien in the purple sitting on top of a roof, talking; Him and the one clad in a dark purple cloak meditating to a rising sun; Him and the green boy playing video games on a leather couch; and him and the mechanical looking one sparring on the top of what seemed to be a tall building. All the memories began to flood in, all meshing together until they were all stopped short by the face of his Master, Slade.

_Focus, Robin. I gave you mental freedom for this mission. You have to focus. These fools saw you kill Neely. They won't turn you in yet, Robin. Flee for now. Attack later. _

Robin nodded, blinking a few times. He faced his team, a small grin on his face.

"Robin? That cannot be you." The alien drew forward, but the cloaked one, the one with the paper skin and dark eyes, grabbed the girl before she could draw forward.

"That can't be him." The green one shook his head. "Maybe it's a villain trying to disguise himself as Robin to trick us?" He turned to the mechanical human, who shook his head. Robin felt himself reveling in their confusion and misery.

The taller redhead released herself from the cloaked girl. She took a single step forward. Tears shone in her eyes. "You cannot be Robin. Robin is dead!" She tossed her hand out to the side, and a small glow began to form around it. Robin felt himself tensing, though he wasn't sure why. These fools weren't a challenge for him.

…

Raven knew it. He wasn't really dead. This was Robin, right in front of her. Her former leader was alive, and as far as Raven could tell, he was brainwashed.

Raven didn't want to set Starfire off, but she knew that she had to bring it to her team's attention. She inhaled deeply. _Now or never…_

"Starfire, maybe Robin never really died. Slade's tricked us, again."

…

Robin felt his smile broaden when the cloaked girl dared to say the name of his Master.

"No." The girl supposedly named Starfire shook her head. "No! This cannot be! Robin would never go back to Slade, never! Robin would never kill." She raised her head, her eyes glowing emerald. She shot a barrage of starbolts at Robin, who dodged them with ease. He leapt into the air, spun in an airborne summersault before landing behind the Titans, his back to them. They turned, their shock gone replaced instead by anger and betrayal. He turned to face them, and shot three short spurts of the blaster at their feet before fleeing. When the dust and debris cleared, Robin was gone.

The body of Gordon Neely poured blood.

......

Starfire was laying on top of her bed, staring into darkness, her body too numb to do anything.

Although she didn't want to believe it, a tiny voice knew inside of her that that was the real Robin.

_No, that was not the real Robin. That Robin killed, and the deceased Robin would never kill. _

She closed he eyes, trying to focus on the new Robin's face. The new Robin had hard lines around his cheekbones. The new Robin's mask was tilted upwards at the corner. That Robin's eyes glowed red, hungry for blood. Starfire shivered. She could still feel those red eyes piercing through her body.

"Dear Robin, I do hope that was not really you."

…

Cyborg was analyzing his built in scanner. Every time he reconstructed the data he had automatically extracted from that…clone?... it turned out to be a perfect match. There was no way to avoid it. Cyborg's scanners never lied. That was Robin. The Robin.

He slammed his head against the metal door of his room. Robin was really gone. His scanners said that the only memories he had were from the previous week. He had connections to the Titans no longer.

Cyborg swore under his breath. Why hadn't they believed Robin when he told them Slade was back? Why hadn't they gotten to Robin sooner that fateful day Slade "killed" him? Why hadn't he stopped Robin that night on the roof? Why wasn't Robin strong enough to overcome Slade?

A tear trickled down his one human eye. He knew it and there was no point in avoiding it any longer.

Robin was an enemy now, and he was one ready to kill.

…

Raven was searching for the answer in her books again. She knew the murderer they had encountered in the Police HQ was Robin, that much she was sure about. But part of his aura was…changed. Evil tinged it, leaving a bad taste in Raven's mouth. She swallowed absentmindedly.

His mind, Raven had sensed, was strangely present, and yet fuzzy around the edges. Clearly mind control, but at the same time… Raven knew she would have to look up a prognosis in her books before coming to any conclusions.

Her door whooshed open, and Beast Boy came up to sit by her on her bed.

"What do you want?" She asked dryly.

"Cyborg and Star locked themselves in their room." He said simply. Raven looked at him, her eyes judging. Was Beast Boy frightened to be alone?

"I'm sorta scared, Rae." He admitted, avoiding her eyes. "I could tell it was Robin. It just…felt like we were a team again, even though he was on the opposite side." He looked up at her, only to find she wasn't looking at him. Rather, her eyes were skimming through the large book propped in her lap.

"Are you even listening?" Beast Boy cried. Raven nodded, sighed, and then looked up at her companion.

"Beast Boy, I know this is going to be hard to hear, but you have to give them, and me for that matter, some time. This was a big blow to us. I don't know if Robin really is dead or if he's under Slade's control or if he's killing by his own free will while being apprenticed by Slade at the same time...or…" She heaved another great sigh, " Just leave Star and Cy alone, and leave me alone too." With that, she turned back to her book, her eyes glowing silver as she began to mutter to herself.

Beast Boy huffed and left. "Stupid Raven." He complained once he got to the living room. The silence weighed down on the animal shape shifter. He went to the refrigerator to grab a glass of water to help ease an ache forming around his temples. A picture of all the Titans in front of the T Car was taped to the refrigerator. Robin was in the center, with the girls on either side. Beast Boy was sitting on the roof of the car, and Cyborg was turned, caught in the middle of yelling at his friend to watch the wax job that had been placed on the previous day.

"You're the leader, Robin. You would know what to do."

……

"You did well today Robin. You've proved your loyalty to me."

Robin was knelt at Slade's feet, head bowed down, his eyes unseeing beyond his mask.

"I was tracking your chemical composure in your body while you were on the mission. You got that old thrill again, when you were fighting them, didn't you? You got a thrill when you were killing that man."

Robin smirked. He stood up and faced his Master, red eyes glowing brightly.

"We will attack them together as one to bring an end to their reign, Robin, but not now. That part comes later. I have a new mission for you. One that I think you are going to quite enjoy." Slade turned, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Anything you say, Master." He said earnestly.

Slade chuckled. A small wind swept through the broken windows of the molasses warehouse. "Robin, tomorrow I'm going to have you to attack Titan Tower and kill one of your own. Do you think you can handle it?" He turned to face his apprentice again.

Robin nodded. "Of course."

_A/N_

_Okay first thank you sooooooooooooooo much to Claire4522 for basically telling me where to go with this chapter! _

_And thank you for the reviews guys! _

_Sorry I'm a day later than promised guys! I truly feel bad about it! But this chapter is a nice length, so I guess it cancels each other out? No? Yes? Anyway_

_I told you the fourth chapter would be more suspenseful! And it's clearly going to get more so with the fifth coming up. I feel some parts are a little emotionless, but that's just me. _

_Ooo I have a question for you guys. I'm obviously a newbee, and I was wondering what it meant when it said on the document manager tab when the documents had like 54 days to live or something along those lines. _

_Some one asked me about the red eyes, and if you were wondering the same thing here's the answer: it's just to show how he's crossed over. The brightness or hue (dark red, bright red) reflects his mood. _

_How about five reviews??? Please??? __ hope to hear from you!_

_-Indy, xsouthernwatersx_


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